Portrait Photography for Sale
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Frida Kahlo en Coyoacán, México, (Framed)
Leo Matiz
Photography - 59.7 x 39.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.5 x 15.55 x 0.1 inch
€3,358
Frida Kahlo en xochimilco, México, (Framed)
Leo Matiz
Photography - 59.7 x 39.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.5 x 15.55 x 0.1 inch
€3,358
Artists in post-apocalyptic costumes
Brian Otieno
Photography - 40 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
€1,300
Looking at you
Brian Otieno
Photography - 60 x 90 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.4 inch
€1,300
Such in a rush
Brian Otieno
Photography - 60 x 90 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.4 inch
€1,300
Red Tissa Bag
Claudia van der Starre
Photography - 150 x 100 x 0.5 cm Photography - 59.1 x 39.4 x 0.2 inch
€3,972
Marguerite Duras
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 80 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,900
Jacques Villeret
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 80 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,900
Les Nuls en Ripolin
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 80 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,900
Johnny Depp Hommage à Robert Mitchum dans la Nuit du chasseur
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 80 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,900
Alain Bashung à la main douce
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch
€2,500
Fabrice Emaer et top modèle
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 80 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0 inch
€2,900
Barman danseur
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,900
Baiser masqué
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,900
Masque anonyme
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,900
De dos au balcon
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,900
Baiser noir et blanc
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,900
Karl Largerfield soirée Kenzo
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 80 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0 inch
€2,900
Helmut & June Newton
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 80 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0 inch
€3,600
Rat Pack II Grey
Nick Veasey
Photography - 75 x 59 x 0.5 cm Photography - 29.5 x 23.2 x 0.2 inch
€9,000
Miguel y la Rosa Three
Ricky Cohete
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
€6,237
Miguel y la Rosa
Ricky Cohete
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
€6,237
Woman with lute ( Ervina Kupferova )
Frantisek Drtikol
Photography - 11 x 7 cm Photography - 4.3 x 2.8 inch
€700
Bruma Portfolio
Miguel Winograd
Photography - 35.6 x 27.9 x 5.1 cm Photography - 14 x 11 x 2 inch
€2,878
Grandma divers VIII
Alain Schroeder
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,500
Grandma divers VI
Alain Schroeder
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,500
Grandma divers XV
Alain Schroeder
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,500
Grandma divers XVII
Alain Schroeder
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,500
Fernandel / Paris Match
Walter Carone
Photography - 50 x 75 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 x 0 inch
€1,600
Montand, Signoret / Paris Match
Walter Carone
Photography - 53 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 20.9 x 31.5 x 0 inch
€2,000
Lollobridgida / Paris Match
Walter Carone
Photography - 80 x 53 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 20.9 x 0 inch
€1,600
Marlene Dietrich de retour à Paris
Walter Carone
Photography - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
€600
Train Conductor
Alain Le Garsmeur
Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€455
Untitled 21 (Paris), From the series La Notte, Medium
Arslan Sükan
Photography - 50 x 75 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 x 0 inch
€3,838
Series: The skin of Mars - Skin 7
Antonio Briceño
Photography - 60 x 45 cm Photography - 23.6 x 17.7 inch
€2,200
Cours de Kung-Fu, Wakaliwood, Ouganda
Frédéric Noy
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€650
Les Waka Starz, Wakaliga, Ouganda
Frédéric Noy
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€650
Le gardien du camp, Birak, Tchad
Frédéric Noy
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€650
Edward Ochido, prêtre et prophète, Kisumu, Kenya
Frédéric Noy
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€650
L’entrée en classe, Kanem, Tchad
Frédéric Noy
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€650
Autoportrait 1972 Hunger Pegof à la cigarette
Florian Hunger-Pegof
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.5 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch
€1,900
Fish Eye Autoportrait
Florian Hunger-Pegof
Photography - 30 x 20 x 0.5 cm Photography - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.2 inch
€1,900
Cyclos y Renacimientos
Diego Echevers Torrez
Photography - 33 x 33 x 0.1 cm Photography - 13 x 13 x 0 inch
€1,341
Don Ricardo
Diego Echevers Torrez
Photography - 33 x 33 x 0.1 cm Photography - 13 x 13 x 0 inch
€1,341
Doña Martha
Diego Echevers Torrez
Photography - 33 x 33 x 0.1 cm Photography - 13 x 13 x 0 inch
€1,341
El Sueño de la China
Diego Echevers Torrez
Photography - 33 x 33 x 0.1 cm Photography - 13 x 13 x 0 inch
€1,341
Fiestas y Sueños
Diego Echevers Torrez
Photography - 33 x 33 x 0.1 cm Photography - 13 x 13 x 0 inch
€1,341
Generaciones y Creencias
Diego Echevers Torrez
Photography - 33 x 33 x 0.1 cm Photography - 13 x 13 x 0 inch
€1,341
Backstage XI
Sven Pfrommer
Photography - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€1,890
Chaos. Inondations suite à la tempête Alex, 2020 Vallée de la Roja, France
Eric Bouvet
Photography - 60 x 70 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
€2,000
Chaos. Réfugiés de la bataille de Mossoul 2017, Mossoul, Irak
Eric Bouvet
Photography - 60 x 70 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
€2,000
Chaos. Manifestations déclenchées par le verdict du Procès des indépendantistes catalans, 2019 Barcelone, Catalogne, Espagne
Eric Bouvet
Photography - 60 x 70 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
€2,000
Chaos. Victoire des Bleus à la coupe du Monde 2018, Paris, France
Eric Bouvet
Photography - 60 x 70 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
€2,000
Chaos. Manifestations pro-européenne Euromaidan, 2014, Place Maidan, Kyev, Ukraine
Eric Bouvet
Photography - 60 x 70 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
€2,000
Chaos. Manifestations pro-européenne Euromaidan, 2014, Place Maidan, Kyev, Ukraine
Eric Bouvet
Photography - 64 x 79 x 1 cm Photography - 25.2 x 31.1 x 0.4 inch
€2,000
Nick Cave Portrait
Detlev Schneider
Photography - 111 x 90 x 1 cm Photography - 43.7 x 35.4 x 0.4 inch
€4,700
Icarus - limited edition of 31
Valentin Zaharia
Photography - 60 x 90 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0 inch
€719
Monks XLVIII
Sven Pfrommer
Photography - 105 x 70 x 3 cm Photography - 41.3 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
€1,590
Monks XXVIII
Sven Pfrommer
Photography - 100 x 70 x 3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
€1,590
Backstage IX
Sven Pfrommer
Photography - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€1,790
Backstage IX
Sven Pfrommer
Photography - 50 x 150 x 3 cm Photography - 19.7 x 59.1 x 1.2 inch
€1,850
Berlin art XV
Sven Pfrommer
Photography - 140 x 70 x 4 cm Photography - 55.1 x 27.6 x 1.6 inch
€1,390
Urban mover III
Sven Pfrommer
Photography - 100 x 100 x 4 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
€1,290
Carolyn Murphy, Portrait Photograph intervened by the artists.
Hunter & Gatti
Photography - 47 x 31.8 x 0.3 cm Photography - 18.5 x 12.5 x 0.1 inch
€2,399
Femme d'age moyen
Stéphane Martin
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.04 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
€150
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Portrait Photography for Sale
In the 1830s, Nièpce discovered the process for setting images onto pewter plates. In 1833, upon Nièpce's death, Louis Daguerre and François Arago continued his experiments and invented the daguerreotype, a process which created a printed image on a silver plate that had been exposed to light. Photography was born.
Similarly to how portrait painting had dominated artistic output in previous centuries, portrait photography was to become the pillar of the Second French Empire's photographic industry. Lenses with a shorter focal length, which enabled reduced exposure times, gradually appear on the market. The required equipment was expensive and difficult to handle. Some photographers, called daguerreotypists, decided to open their own photography studios to make a profit from their endeavours. The daguerreotype process was temperamental, and photographers had to take their pictures with great precision and attention to detail. They welcomed many people into their studios and customers choose how they wished to be photographed from catalogue of poses. Originally only accessible to the bourgeoisie, lower prices resulting from the growing number of studios eventually attracted a wider customer base. This phenomenon infuriated the poet Charles Baudelaire who was frustrated by the sense of narcissism sparked by the daguerreotypists.
Despite his protests, the egotistical trend only grew with the emergence of 'carte de visite' portraits (small photographs, the size of today's business cards). These were the brainchild of Adolphe Eugène Disdéri came up with the idea of producing portraits akin to visiting cards in 1859. He printed eight portraits in a variety of poses onto a single plate and once developed they could be cut up into eight distinct “visiting cards". Very popular with the bourgeoisie, they highlighted the sitters' social status. 'Carte de visite' portraits featuring celebrities were also sold to customers, who could subsequently add them to their albums.
The photographer Nadar was one of the first to demonstrate a conscious artistic approach to producing these portraits. He emphasised facial expressions and ensured the sitter was comfortable and at ease before taking the photograph. He photographed the era's greatest thinkers and artists, including Honoré de Balzac, George Sand, and Victor Hugo. He even managed to reconcile Baudelaire with portraiture.
At the end of the 19th century, the art of photography started to enter the mainstream, with the arrival of the Kodak company. The use of the camera, and the taking of portraits, became everyday occurrences. A century later, it was the invention of the digital camera which challenged the status quo. Whereas before alterations could only be made to photographs when they were being taken or developed, with the digital camera editing became easier, quicker and more convenient. Digital photography has given photographers much more freedom when it comes to editing and new methods and techniques are constantly being explored.
Some of the photographers who have left their mark on the last century include: Cindy Sherman, who excelled in self-portraits, Annie Leibovitz, who captured celebrities, the wacky duo, Pierre and Gilles, as well as Diane Arbus, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Bettina Rheims.
So, do portraits help us to learn more about each other, to remember, to invent, to act, or to reconnect with ourselves? Find out on Artsper, by exploring the works of Formento & Formento, Naomi Vona, Ahmed Bennani, Chou Ching Hui, Samuel Cueto, Brno del Zou, Ren Hang, Markus + Indrani, Jerome Liebling as well as Annina Roescheisen.
A portrait photograph can be a photograph of a person's head and shoulders, but it can also be of an animal or of a different section of the subject's body such as their feet. Portrait photographs in art often tell or hint something about its subject to the viewer, such as an aspect of their personality, but still contain an element of mystery.
The three major types of portrait photography are posed portraits, candid or anonymous portraits, and conceptual portraits. The last type, conceptual or creative portraits, can be experimental and abstract, and may not represent an image close to a traditional portrait.
The six main types of portrait photography are fine art portraits, traditional portraits (for example posed portraits taken at school), lifestyle portraits, group portraits, street portraits and glamour portraits.